MAKING A DIFFERENCE CHANGING THE FACE OF NAIROBI THE NAIROBI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
Mr. Kisia, in what way is the Nairobi Central Business District Association trying to make a difference? Basically, our aim is to make a difference through partnership. What I mean is partnership between the private sector and the Government, between the Nairobi business community and the Nairobi City Council, between the citizens of Nairobi and those who govern them. Through partnerships we wish to make certain not only that the Government plays its part, but also that the Nairobi people start realising that they have a role to play in making Nairobi a better city to live in. For example, when it comes to local elections, they must make certain that they put good people in office. If the wrong people are elected we can only end up with wrong policies. When did this project get started and who are the persons behind it? The project had its beginning in 1997 when the Managing Director of Sarova Hotels, Mr. Sandy Vohra, brought together some nine other Nairobi businessmen. They had a discussion on what could be done to improve the environment for doing business. Among them were people like Chris Kirubi, Manu Chandaria and Mr. [first name?] Chelashaw. There were so many problems impacting negatively on Nairobi business: poor infrastructure (such as the bad state of the roads, the non-collection of garbage) escalating crime, the many people living on the streets and the general lack of cleanliness. The group felt that something could be done by the business community to change this situation. They had the idea of forming a lobby group which would pressurise the Government into making some changes. However, it took them two years to get registered as a non-profit making association. What was the vision they had at the back of their minds in starting the project? They wished to see a clean and attractive Nairobi with a safe and secure environment, a place which would be good for business. What are some of things that the Association has accomplished so far? I was asked to be the chairman of the Association in November 1998 in order to bring to fruition the vision of the NCBDA's founders. So I will talk about what we have done since that time. I should explain first that our method is always one of cooperation, not confrontation. So we have started dialogues with the Government and we now meet with them on a regular basis. With respect to the City Council, we have drafted a Memorandum of Understanding with them. We have also sent some officers from City Hall on technical exchange programmes to South Africa and India. The purpose of this was to give them some ideas about the community policing concept and local government governance. We are in partnership with the police and have established a number of police booths throughout the city. These booths are a means of bringing the police closer to the people: they serve as sources of information and as places where people can report security problems. We have rehabilitated a police landrover which is on duty 24 hours. It is maintained by us and we pay for the fuel. Last year we even held the first ever party for some 300 policemen. Then we chose 20 police officers to take a training course in public relations. For this course we are bringing in two lecturers from Brownshill College in the UK. The partnerships have borne fruit in several ways. Specifically, what we have seen since we started is that the crime rate has gone down by eight percent in Nairobi as a whole. In the Central Business District this figure is even higher. Also, we have not had any bank robberies in the last five months. Then we have seen a dramatic improvement in garbage collection. For example, in 1999 the City Council collected 30 percent of the garbage in the city, this was up to 60 percent in 2000 and we are aiming for 70 percent in 2001. Are you getting the cooperation you need, from business people, the Nairobi City Council, the Government, in order to make a success of this venture? Yes, we have been getting good cooperation from the Government. Part of the problem we are facing in the city is due to the fact that the City Council does not have the necessary resources to carry out its tasks: the Local Government Act does not give it sufficient independence. So I have personally been asked to sit on a Task Force for the overhaul of this act, CAP. 265 of the Laws of Kenya. The Government has also been accommodating as far as the provision of police officers is concerned: 108 police officers have been set aside for the project in the Nairobi Central Business District and there is no problem about officers attending our meetings. It was also the Government which instructed the City Council to work with us. One of the things that has pleased me most is the support we have been receiving from the Nairobi residents. We are constantly getting e-mails expressing their support and appreciation. They write things like: we are behind you, we support you, keep up the good work. The business community is also becoming more and more supportive. For example, Coca Cola is supplying soft drinks to the police officers in the city free of charge for a whole year. And we have seen a great change of attitude among them and among the city residents. Before, they would complain: "We are paying our taxes, it is up to the Government to give us the services we pay for." Now they realise that partnership gets us much further. What are some of the challenges that you have faced in carrying out this project? The City Council was suspicious of us at first: they saw us as competitors, that was one challenge. But the main challenge has been to change the perception of the Nairobi citizens, to get them to believe that there is a possibility of change; in other words to give them hope. One of the problems in our city is the vast number of hawkers who are trying to make a living in one way or another. One can understand the frustration of business people who see these "competitors" sometimes hawking right in front of their shops the very items that the shopkeepers are selling. Yet the hawkers do not have to pay rent for buildings and therefore are in a position to undercut the prices charged by shopkeepers. What do you see as a solution to this problem? The hawkers should not be seen as a problem: they play an important role in society. But what we need is a better organisation of this segment of the business community. We should learn from what is done in other countries. For instance, on weekends when there is less business activity in the city, they could be allowed to operate in streets which are designated for this purpose. The main thing is to organise their activities in an orderly manner so that it does not interfere with other business or causes harm to the environment. Are you thinking of expanding your operations beyond the Central Business District? And how do you see this initiative developing in the future? We have already initiated dialogue with various other districts in Nairobi and hope to complete this exercise in May. We see the NCBDA developing as a body that will create synergy with the stakeholders, as an association that will give technical advice to businesses, neighbourhood associations and any other group which shares our vision for a better Nairobi. How do you finance your operations? Chiefly through memberships (we have some 86 businesses, both large and small as members) but we also receive donations from well-wishers. In addition, we have received grants from the Ford Foundation and the Urban Management Programme of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). Is there anything else that you would wish our readers to know about this project? Yes, what I would like to say is: "Kenyans, this is your city. Almost half of our national income is generated in Nairobi. Help us to become proud of it."
 A JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONCERN Published Quarterly by DR. GERALD J. WANJOHI Likoni Lane - P .O. Box 32440 - Nairobi - Kenya Telephone: 712632/311674/312822 The Online publishing of WAJIBU is by Koinonia Media Centre. GO TO WAJIBU HOMEPAGE |